


Coming Home

by hope27



Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Moving In Together, Season/Series 04, Speculation
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-13
Updated: 2015-07-13
Packaged: 2018-04-09 02:49:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,587
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4330944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hope27/pseuds/hope27
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Oliver and Felicity return to Starling City after being away for 5 months, they realize taking the next step in their relationship has already been made without them even realizing it.</p><p>(AKA The moving in together speculation ficlet.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Coming Home

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: Hey guys! What a crazy and AWESOME weekend to be an olicity fan! So much amazing stuff coming up for our couple and I can’t wait for the new season!
> 
> I got this idea after listening to SA and EBR’s interviews about Oliver and Felicity being together and the possibility of moving in together, and how it seems to be the next logical step. The plot bunny would not be dissuaded, nor would people who wanted to read it. ;)
> 
> I hope you enjoy it! As always, I’d LOVE to know what you think!

The sun was low in the sky by the time Oliver parked the porsche in front of Felicity’s townhouse.  She had been sleeping in the passenger seat until they reached the Starling City limits, and then Oliver’s hand on her knee had woken her, his gentle touch and her name on his lips.

She gazed up at the large brick building, the steps leading up to her door and the curtains in the front window.  

“It looks the same,” she finally said as Oliver cut the engine before turning his head to look at her.  “I mean, I know there’s no reason for it to change, but it just always seems like things should have changed when you’ve been gone for so long.  Not that five months is a lifetime, but…”

Oliver’s hand landed on her knee, squeezing it gently and she turned, her hand covering his as she caught his gaze.

She could see the hesitation in his eyes, the one that had been there ever since they’d left the small bungalow they’d been renting for the past few months and headed back to Starling; back to the life they’d walked - or really driven - away from five months ago.

But things had happened.  Ray was missing.  The company needed a CEO and somehow her name had been on transfer papers along with her signature.

And so they were back.  

Oliver smiled at her, the hesitation she’d seen a moment before shifting into happiness and something deeper that always seemed to fill his gaze whenever it landed on her.

She knew his looks well by now.   She’d known them before they’d ever even thought about dating or being together.  But after five months of being together - living with each other and learning the ins and outs of the other’s personalities and habits - she knew them almost instantly; she knew _him_.

And that’s how she knew that despite any lingering reservations he may have at coming back, he knew it was the right choice.  A choice they’d made together - just the way they were going to face whatever else came their way.

Returning his smile, she leaned over the console and placed a soft kiss on his lips.  Her fingers lingered against the neck of his t-shirt, the strong beat of his heart and the heat from his skin grounding her in this moment, reassuring her of them.

Without another word, Oliver took a breath and climbed out of the car.  While she fished out her keys, he unloaded their bags from the trunk before following her up the steps.

The familiar smell of her home washed over her when she entered, Oliver kicking the door shut behind them as she continued inside, tossing her keys in the bowl by the door.

Diggle had stopped by every few weeks to check on the place, making sure nothing had happened to it while she was away.  

There was a time when she considered having him move her stuff to storage and selling the place.  She hadn’t been sure when they would return - if - they would return.  But, after talking it over with Oliver, he told her they could do that themselves if she wanted.

Oliver followed her into her bedroom where she immediately kicked off her shoes and padded over to the window, pulling back the drapes to let the last bits of light from the day wash over her bed and purple accent wall.

When she turned around, she saw Oliver placing her bags on the bed before setting his own down in the corner of her room.

Her head cocked to the side as she regarded his stuff sitting in her room.

It was something she hadn’t considered since they’d decided to come back.

Where they would live had never been discussed she realized abruptly.  The thought hadn’t even crossed her mind.  They’d been essentially living together for five months.  Their stuff interspersed with each others.  Two months into the relationship, they’d stopped even having separate bags because her shirt would end up in his bag while his boxers would end up in hers.

But for some reason, now, it was causing her to pause.  This was something they should have talked about, _right_?  People discussed moving in together.  And then there was the question of whether or not he really wanted to or if he was just staying the night before going back to Thea’s…

But that didn’t seem right, and she shook her head.  The thought of him not being with her, her stuff beside her own seemed wrong after all this time.  It seemed as if they’d taken that step without even knowing it.

“Felicity?”

Oliver’s voice carried to her from where he stood watching her on the other side of the bed, his head tilted to the side.

His brow was furrowed in concern, and it took him seconds to drop the shirt he’d been pulling out of one of his bags to round to her side when he saw her face.

Her eyes were still glued to his bags, and she felt him follow her gaze, his body stiffening slightly.

“Is this not okay?” he asked quietly, his voice even but she heard the worry and fear and sadness.

Her eyes snapped to his as she took a step towards him, realizing in one second that he’d done this almost out of habit and now he was second-guessing himself as well.

“No, no,” she replied quickly.  “It’s fine.  It’s more than fine.  I just realized we’d never really discussed it and that’s something that we should discuss right?  it’s something normal couples discuss, but then again, we’ve never done things the normal way…”

During her ramble, he stepped closer and she felt his hand curl around hers, lacing his fingers through her own.

The flow of words from her mouth stopped and she closed her eyes and took a breath at his touch.

Opening them, she looked back up at him and found him watching her with a small smile on his face, that adoration back in his eyes that made her stomach swoop in love every single time.

“Felicity,” he began, tugging her hand gently and releasing a small breath before continuing.  “We’ve been traveling and living together for the last five months.”

“I know,” she blurted out, “And I love it.”

Her cheeks heated slightly and his smile widened.

“Then this is okay?” He asked, bending a little at the knees to catch her gaze and it was one of the most adorable things Felicity had seen from Oliver Queen.  “Because I want to live with you.  I want to come home to you at night and wake up with you every morning just like we’ve been doing…”

His words made her heart flutter, that unfiltered joy bursting within her and causing her to giggle softly before surging up on her toes.   Her free hand landed on the back of his neck and he met her halfway, his lips slanting over hers.

She could feel him smile into the kiss, his tongue sneaking out to run along her lower lip and making her arch into him with a gasp.  He took that opportunity to deepen the kiss, bringing their still joined hands up between them as he wrapped his other arm around her back and pulled her into him.

She moaned softly as his teeth grazed her lower lip, and when she raked her nails up through the short strands of his hair, a noise erupted deep in his chest and her body responded immediately.

Felicity smiled as she broke away from him, both of them gasping for breath.

“It’s more than okay,” she whispered against his lips before kissing him once more.  “I want all of that too.”

There was a moment of contented silence that passed between them before her stomach growled loudly.

She felt the laughter rumble deep in his chest as he moved back, only their foreheads still touching

“You should get unpacked, I’ll go order us some food,” he stated, and she nodded emphatically.

“Second drawer on your left in the kitchen,” she called to him as he was halfway out the door.

By the time he returned, she had unpacked and sorted her clothes, most ending up in a laundry pile at her feet.  Dresses and other items littered the bed and she saw him frown in confusion despite the slight amusement in his eyes.

“Food should be here in 10,” he told her, walking to the bed before turning to her and cocking an eyebrow in question.

“Come here,” she crowed proudly, reaching for his hand and pulling him towards her closet.

When Oliver could see inside, he stopped in his tracks.

Felicity had completely cleared one side of her closet.

“Now you can unpack too,” she grinned, leaning over and lifting up on her tiptoes to rest her chin on his shoulder.  

She watched him carefully, her heart thudding loudly in her chest as she waited for his response.  She hadn’t really thought it through when she started.  It just happened.  Because she wanted too.  She wanted him to feel like this was his place too.  She didn’t want him to just have two bags in a corner.

If this was going to be their home, she wanted it to be _theirs_.

With her hands clasped in front of her, she watched as Oliver stepped into the small space and looked at the empty rack before turning back to her with a brilliant smile.

“Thank you,” he murmured, reaching for her as he pulled her into his embrace.

She melted against him, letting the familiarity of his body wrap around her.  This was one of her favorite places to be - in his arms.  She knew she would never tire of being held by Oliver, and the way he felt like she was the most precious and treasured thing in his life.

Letting her head burrow into the crook of his neck, she breathed him in, content to stay like this for as long as possible.

It wasn’t until she felt him lift an arm and a rustling sound behind her that she pulled back slightly.

“What’s this?” Oliver’s voice floated over her head and she craned her neck back to see what he was referring to.

A black garment bag hung in the far corner of the closet, and Felicity felt her stomach drop.  She hadn’t realized that was still there.  Her hands grabbed for the bag before she realized what she was doing.

Then she stopped, realization splashing over her.  She didn’t want to hide anything from him.  

With a deep breath, she turned back to him and placed a kiss over his heart.  “Open it.”

Stepping back, she watched as he slid the garment bag to the center of the rack and then tugged the zipper down.

Her heart thudded in her ears as she swallowed and then she heard him inhale sharply.

His eyes flew to hers and she bit down on her bottom lip.

Emotions flickered through his eyes and he frowned as he glanced back at the items in the bag.

“Your dress,” he finally said, his voice strained and hoarse. “You wore this one our first date.”

She let out a shaky breath as the memories assaulted her.  Candles and wine and laughter and then shouting and blackness.  

Swallowing she nodded and shrugged her shoulders.

“I didn’t know if I’d ever get to go on another one with you, and I just...I couldn’t get rid of it,” she explained, her voice soft and affected by her own emotions.  “For how badly it ended, the beginning of that night was one of the best of my life.”

She watched in silence as the words sunk in and then his eyes slid shut, and he nodded.  “Mine too.”

The knot that had formed in her stomach eased as he turned back to the bag and pushed the dress aside only to still once more.

She knew what else was in that bag.  

His jacket.  His Arrow jacket.  The one she’d taken after Cisco had upgraded his and stuffed it in the back of her closet because she couldn’t let it end up in the trash.  

He’d gone through more than one jacket in the Arrow suit, but that one had been the one he’d worn when he told her he loved her.  She’d patched up the holes more than once and watched as he mended a few of the seams.  

He wore that jacket even when he should have gotten a new one.

And so she _couldn’t_ let it go.  

“You kept it.”

She nodded, releasing her breath.  “Cicso was going to throw it away...I didn’t…”

Oliver reached for her, and she stepped forward, wrapping both of her smaller hands around his larger one.

He squeezed her hand and she gazed up at him, searching his face as he stared at the jacket.

Glancing back at where he was looking, she was struck by the image of her dress next to his jacket.

Pieces of their past.  People they’d been and the things they’d gone through to get where they were now.

Together.  Happy.  

After a few more minutes, Oliver carefully moved the dress and jacket back into the bag and zipped it up before pushing it to the back of the closet once more.

He turned to her and brought his head down so it rested against her own.  His breath ghosted over her face and she smiled as his hands found her hips, his fingers began their familiar pattern across her skin where her shirt had ridden up.

Achingly slowly, his hands moved up her sides to her face, cupping her cheeks as he kissed her softly, letting his lips linger over hers, slow and deep.

She was seconds away from dragging him from the closet to the bed when the doorbell rang, and she jumped, his hands steadying her as they both let out a soft chuckle.

“Food,” he reminded her, eyebrows raised, desire swimming in the deep blue depths.

“Right,” she nodded, and still neither moved for a second until the doorbell rang again.

Only then, did she take a deep breath and moved back so they could exit the closet.

Oliver pressed a kiss to her hair before scrubbing a hand across his face and heading for the door.

“We’ll finish this later,” he threw over his shoulder and Felicity smiled, that delicious heat curling throughout her at the thought.

An hour later, they were in bed, sheets tangled around their legs, bodies covered in a thin sheen of sweat.   She was splayed over his chest, listening to the gentle thrum of his heartbeat while he came down.

When she shifted on top of him, he tightened the arm around her middle, pulling her closer and leaning down to nuzzle the top of her head.

“I love you,” she whispered over his heart, and she felt the way his chest fell at the loss of breath, and smiled that she could still have that effect on him.

His fingers carded through her hair, moving it gently away from her face, and she kissed his chest.

“I love you too.”

They never really talked about moving in together again, but they both started looking for places they could move into together the very next day.

And five months later, when he asked her to marry him, there was no choice to make.


End file.
